No progress on South China Sea code of conduct
Published on: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
By: ABS CBN News
PHNOM PENH: No progress has been made on the conclusion of the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, even as Asean leaders have raised the need to finalise one during the Asean Summits in Cambodia, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a media interview.“Well, nothing new actually has happened in terms of the code of conduct. We all just restated over and over again. Kailangan na magkaroon ng code of conduct. Because to be very, very clear about what it is that we are agreeing upon, eh kailangan may code of conduct na tayo. So ‘yun lang. That’s as far as you can go especially pagka ganyan,” Marcos explained.
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Marcos was among the Asean leaders who had pressed on the matter during his interventions in the Asean-China Summit and Asean-East Asia Summit.
“Paulit-ulit na sa sinabi ko, it is urgent. It is becoming more and more urgent and we really should, the negotiations and the finalisation of the code of conduct. There’s been some progress in the past year but we really need to have the actual code of conduct, already finalised and already in place as soon as possible,” Marcos said.
The Philippines and many other nations have in the past been calling on China to adhere to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which partly states that they “undertake to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability including, among others, refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features and to handle their differences in a constructive manner.”
Aside from China and the Philippines, the following also have claims in the South China Sea: Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
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“Pretty much everybody” raised the importance of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the South China Sea, Marcos said.
What was common also among the Asean leaders, Marcos noted, was the need to follow the international laws when dealing with the South China Sea issue.
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“Everybody, including the Chinese, says we follow UNCLOS and the international law. So at least that position of Asean is clear,” he said.
On the issue of Taiwan’s independence from China, Marcos voiced out that Asean should not interfere in the matter.
“So sinasabi namin, okay, we are still following the One China Policy but it is, we just want to peace. ‘Yun ang aking ano, sinasabi ko. It is, we follow the One China Policy, dapat wala kami —- it’s an internal matter,” Marcos said.
“We believe that Taiwan is part of China but you must resolve those issues peacefully. ‘Yun lang naman ang hinihingi ng Asean. Huwag magkagulo,” he added.
Meanwhile, discussions on how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should “engage” with Myanmar became a “little contentious” during their 40th and 41st Summits in Cambodia, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said.
Myanmar has been in a political crisis since a military coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in February 2021, with thousands killed in clashes since.
The political crisis has been the “main worry” of the Asean leaders going into the summit, Marcos said.
“That was a little contentious. Kasi may mga bansa, sabi nila, basta tanggalin na natin ang Myanmar sa Asean. O basta’t huwag nating imbitahin at all. Mayroon naman nagsasabi na hindi huwag lang ‘yung mga nasa taas, pero ‘yung sa ilalim kailangan pa rin natin kausapin ‘yan,” Marcos said.
(That was a little contentious. Because some countries said Myanmar should be kicked out of the Asean. Some said we should just stop inviting them. Some said we should speak not just to the top officials, but also their subordinates.)
“All of us came down on different, slightly different positions along the entire spectrum of completely kicking out Myanmar from Asean and for engaging them fully,” he added.
For his part, Marcos voiced out that “direct engagement” by the Asean with all stakeholders, including the military administration and the opposition movement, is vital to ending violence in Myanmar.
“Sinabi ko, kausapin natin lahat. Kausapin pati ‘yung nasa position, pati ‘yung nasa nakaupo, pati ‘yung naka, kahit naman sino na interesado dapat kausapin natin o pag-usapin natin,” he said.
(I said we should talk to everyone. Let’s talk to those in position, and anyone else who might be interested.)
“Nobody wanted to engage the generals. Nobody wanted to engage the high-level officials. But there are certain —- iba-ibang level of engagement ang kanilang ina-ano, ang kanilang sinasabi (different levels of engagement are being proposed),” he said.
On Saturday, the Asean leaders released a statement that the “Five Point Consensus” agreed upon by the Asean and Myanmar should be “implemented in its entirety”.
The “Five Point Consensus” had called for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a “constructive dialogue” among all concerned parties, among others.
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